How Platforms Can Keep Children Safe Online: Lessons from Roblox and Australia’s Social Media Shift

Child Online Safety

Around the world, governments are rethinking how children experience the digital world. Australia has taken a decisive step by moving to restrict children’s access to social media platforms that cannot reliably keep them safe. At the same time, platforms such as Roblox are deploying age assurance and safety controls designed to limit adult contact with minors and block exposure to adult content. Together, these developments signal a clear shift: child safety must be built into technology by design, not left to chance.

This article explains, in simple terms, how Roblox-style safeguards work, why they matter for children, and how they align with Australia’s child-first approach to online safety.

Why Australia Is Drawing a Line on Children and Social Media

Australia’s policy direction is not about punishment or surveillance. It is about protection.

Regulators are responding to well-documented risks children face online, including grooming, cyberbullying, and exposure to sexual or violent content. Traditional social media platforms rely heavily on self-declared age and reactive moderation. Children can easily bypass age limits, and harm often occurs before intervention.

Australia’s response places responsibility on platforms to prove they can keep children safe before granting access. This approach favors preventive safeguards over after-the-fact enforcement.

How Age Assurance Helps Keep Children in Child-Only Spaces

Roblox offers an example of how platforms can reduce risk by accurately identifying when a user is a child.

Instead of relying only on a birthdate, age assurance tools estimate or verify age and place users into age groups. For children, this means:

• Adult features never appear in their accounts.

• Access is limited to age-appropriate experiences.

• Safety rules apply automatically and consistently.

For child safety, the value is simple. When a platform knows a user is a child, it can act accordingly. Australia’s emerging standards expect this level of responsibility.

Stopping Adult and Child Contact Before It Starts

One of the greatest risks to children online is unsolicited contact from adults.

Platforms that follow a Roblox-style model reduce this risk by design:

• Adults cannot directly message or voice chat with children.

• Friend requests between adults and minors are restricted or blocked.

• Communication is limited to same-age groups or supervised environments.

These controls are enforced behind the scenes, not just through settings menus. As a result, grooming pathways are structurally closed, not merely discouraged.

This approach closely reflects Australia’s objective to prevent foreseeable harm rather than respond after damage is done.

Blocking Adult Content at the Gate

Exposure to adult content can have lasting effects on children’s development.

Roblox-style platforms address this risk by rating and controlling access to content:

• Experiences are labeled by age suitability.

• Sexualized language, imagery, and adult themes are actively filtered.

• Children cannot search for or discover adult content.

The key benefit is prevention. Children are not asked to report harm after exposure. The system stops harmful content before it reaches them.

What This Means for Policy, Technology, and Parents

Australia’s move signals a broader global expectation. Platforms that want to serve children must demonstrate real safety controls. Age assurance, restricted communication, and content gating are no longer optional.

For policymakers, this model shows that child protection and digital participation can coexist. For parents, it offers reassurance that safety does not depend solely on monitoring or trust. For technology leaders, it sets a clear design standard.

Building Safer Digital Childhoods

Keeping children safe online requires more than good intentions. It requires systems that separate adults from children, block harmful content, and place safety ahead of engagement metrics.

OGUN Security Research and Strategic Consulting LLC helps organizations, educators, and policymakers assess child safety risks, design age assurance strategies, and align technology with emerging global standards. As countries like Australia lead the way, now is the time to rethink how platforms protect their youngest users.

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Author

Dr. Oludare Ogunlana is a Professor of Cybersecurity and National Security and the Founder of OGUN Security Research and Strategic Consulting LLC, a Texas-based firm specializing in cybersecurity, AI governance, privacy, and digital risk advisory. He advises public and private sector organizations on emerging technology risks, child online safety, and policy-driven security strategies.